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Public Radio for Central Florida - Primary provider of NPR and Classical MusicSat, 01 Aug 2015 14:50:02 +0000en-UShourly1Spotlight: GeekyCon Takes Over Orange County Convention Centerhttp://www.wmfe.org/spotlight-geekycon-takes-over-orange-county-convention-center/51514
http://www.wmfe.org/spotlight-geekycon-takes-over-orange-county-convention-center/51514#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 21:49:45 +0000http://www.wmfe.org/?p=51514Thousands of people are getting their geek on at the Orange County Convention Center for this year's GeekyCon. The event bills itself as a place to get the nerdy fun of a ComicCon with the excitement and community experience of South by Southwest. ]]>

Thousands of people are getting their geek on at the Orange County Convention Center for this year’s GeekyCon. This weekend’s event bills itself as a place to get the nerdy fun of a ComicCon with the excitement and community experience of South by Southwest.

Attendee Aalexis Garcia was dressed as “warrior Ariel,” with long, bright red hair, a black corset, a crown and a trident made of shells.

“At first I was going to do steam punk Ariel and then I liked the idea of a warrior one instead, like independent, strong Ariel. She can kick somebody’s butt; she doesn’t need a prince,” said Garcia.

There’s also a big literary focus at GeekyCon, formerly known as LeakyCon, with plenty of new and established authors for people to meet and talk to about their favorite books.

Friday is officially “Geek Day” in Orange County. Mayor Teresa Jacobs declared it so. Melissa Anelli is an organizer of the event.

“It’s pretty great because whenever an official organization grants legitimacy to something with a day like that it says you’re not weird, you’re awesome actually and we like you and welcome home, and that’s the message of the whole convention,” said Anelli.

]]>http://www.wmfe.org/spotlight-geekycon-takes-over-orange-county-convention-center/51514/feed0Spotlight: Taste Of The Nation Food And Wine Event Combats Childhood Hungerhttp://www.wmfe.org/spotlight-taste-of-the-nation-food-and-wine-event-combats-childhood-hunger/51498
http://www.wmfe.org/spotlight-taste-of-the-nation-food-and-wine-event-combats-childhood-hunger/51498#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 21:49:22 +0000http://www.wmfe.org/?p=51498Orlando’s Taste of the Nation event is coming up, on Saturday, August 8. This is one of the biggest food and wine events of the year, and it’s also one of the most important because it benefits Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry program to eradicate childhood hunger.]]>

Orlando’s Taste of the Nation event is coming up on Saturday, August 8. This is one of the biggest food and wine events of the year, and it’s also one of the most important because it benefits Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry program to eradicate childhood hunger.

And we’re not talking about kids going hungry in foreign countries or even rural parts of the U.S. We’re talking about right here in Florida. A recently released report stated that nearly one in four kids in central Florida is living in poverty.

That’s unacceptable.

So something like Taste of the Nation is very important. All of the money raised at the event will go toward feeding hungry children right here in our own community. So the $150 ticket charge seems a mere pittance when you consider the good it can do.

And it’s not like you’re not getting something for the entrance fee (not that feeling good about yourself for doing good is nothing!). Nearly 45 restaurants will be on hand handing out samples of their menus. These restaurants donate their time, talent and, not incidentally, money to be part of this event. They do it for the cause, of course, but they also know that this is a terrific opportunity to show a large audience the kind of food they do at their restaurants. They’re there to impress you.

Taste of the Nation is Saturday, August 8, from 6:45 to 10 p.m. at the Orlando World Center Marriott, 8701 World Center Drive, Orlando. Tickets are $150 per person and may be purchased at the Taste of the Nation webpage.

Eatonville mayor Anthony Grant will not stand trial for alleged voter fraud. A judge ordered today to drop the case filed by former mayor Bruce Mount after the town’s election in March.

The judge ruled that Mount failed to file suit against the Eatonville Canvassing Board within ten days of the election.

“The judge and their attorneys don’t think that the will of the people being affected is important than some technicality,” said Mount’s attorney Jacob Stuart.

Mount lost his seat to Grant, who won by a landslide of absentee ballots. Mount accused Grant of bribing residents to vote for him.

Grant is still under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for voter fraud.

Neither Grant’s attorney nor the Eatonville Canvassing Board could be reached for comment.

]]>http://www.wmfe.org/judge-drops-voter-fraud-lawsuit-against-eatonville-mayor/51537/feed0Orlando City Soccer Stadium to Accommodate 25K Peoplehttp://www.wmfe.org/orlando-city-stadium-to-accommodate-25k-fans/51524
http://www.wmfe.org/orlando-city-stadium-to-accommodate-25k-fans/51524#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 18:29:05 +0000http://www.wmfe.org/?p=51524After an overflow of support from Orlando City Soccer fans, officials announced plans today to accommodate more fans at its new stadium slated to open next fall. Even with the expansion, the new stadium will hold fewer fans than the Citrus Bowl.]]>

25,500.

That’s the number of people who’ll be able to attend Orlando City Soccer games once the stadium opens next fall.

Officials announced plans Friday to increase the number of fans able to attend after home games consistently sold out.

Orlando City Soccer Club president Phil Rawlins said accommodating more fans would require more land and time for construction.

“We don’t have a greenfield site to work with. We love the existing design. Didn’t want to change that. Very happy with it, so we’ve worked to change the capacity on the existing design.”

About 33,900 fans attend home games at the Citrus Bowl on average.

When asked about the new stadium accommodating less fans than the Citrus Bowl, Rawlins responded, “I would encourage the people that are on the outside right now trying to get in—get a season ticket—it’s the least expensive way to watch the game, and then secondly, it’s the way to guarantee yourself a seat.”

Orlando City Soccer will offer 18 thousand season tickets.

Rawlins said he does not anticipate raising ticket prices to meet the demand for seats.

The Lion’s new stadium is slated to be Major League Soccer’s third largest stadium.

]]>http://www.wmfe.org/orlando-city-stadium-to-accommodate-25k-fans/51524/feed0Bond Revoked For Man Charged With Shooting At George Zimmermanhttp://www.wmfe.org/bond-revoked-for-man-who-shot-at-george-zimmerman/51509
http://www.wmfe.org/bond-revoked-for-man-who-shot-at-george-zimmerman/51509#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 17:21:02 +0000http://www.wmfe.org/?p=51509The man charged with shooting at George Zimmerman is headed to jail. A judge revoked Matthew Apperson’s bond for allegedly urinating on a neighbor’s doorstep.

Police says Apperson urinated on a neighbor’s door last month. It happened while he was on bond for charges that he shot at George Zimmerman. And that’s what sparked a circuit court judge to revoked Apperson’s bond, sending him to jail.

Apperson denies he that he pee’d on his neighbor’s door.

Zimmerman’s attorney says his client feels safer knowing Apperson is behind bars. Apperson is charged with attempted second degree murder for firing at Zimmerman as they were driving in traffic back in May.

Zimmerman is the neighborhood watch volunteer acquitted of murder in the shooting death of unarmed black teen Trayvon Martin.

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush comes to the I-4 corridor, with a pitch to Hispanic voters. He wants a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants – but don’t call it amnesty – call it legal status. Is it just semantics or is it a real distinction?

Then, two south Florida families hold out hope for their missing teenage sons. Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen’s boat was found drifting, capsized off Ponce Inlet in Volusia County, with no sign of the two 14-year-olds. Questions remain about how the boat ended up in deep water. The Coast guard is leading that massive search and volunteers are helping out any way they can including with private drones.

And- development is an economic driver – but it can also drive a wedge between residents. Big changes are coming to rural swathes of Orange County, the city of Eatonville is facing an uncertain future, and Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer talks infrastructure and homelessness as he outlines the city’s budget and its future. Are big developments changing the view from your front porch?

]]>http://www.wmfe.org/friday-news-round-table/51496/feed0Bacon Race, Arnold Day, Quilts and Restaurantshttp://www.wmfe.org/bacon-race-arnold-day-quilts-and-restaurants/51433
http://www.wmfe.org/bacon-race-arnold-day-quilts-and-restaurants/51433#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 13:00:39 +0000http://www.wmfe.org/?p=51433The 1st Annual Bacon Race is here thank the pork bellied gods with a 5k for the adults with bacon station stops along the route, a 1k bacon dash for the little darling precious baby people, a Bacon Bash after party, free bacon, music and mingling with a bunch of people who love bacon. The bacon Race is Saturday at 8. The 11th annual Arnold Day is back with a full day of Schwarzenegger movies in celebration of the former Governator’s birthday to raise money for the CJ Foundation. #ArnoldDay is Saturday noon to 2am at Lazy Moon Pizza on University Blvd. One hundred quilts will be on display on the final day of the 2nd Annual Summer Stetson Mansion ...]]>

The 1st Annual Bacon Race is here thank the pork bellied gods with a 5k for the adults with bacon station stops along the route, a 1k bacon dash for the little darling precious baby people, a Bacon Bash after party, free bacon, music and mingling with a bunch of people who love bacon. The bacon Race is Saturday at 8.

The 11th annual Arnold Day is back with a full day of Schwarzenegger movies in celebration of the former Governator’s birthday to raise money for the CJ Foundation. #ArnoldDay is Saturday noon to 2am at Lazy Moon Pizza on University Blvd.

One hundred quilts will be on display on the final day of the 2nd Annual Summer Stetson Mansion Quilt Showcase. 100 quilts will be on display inside a mansion at 10am on Camphor Lane at Stetson University.

And finally, this weekend kicks of Main Street Restaurant Week, a full week of special prix fixe deals from restaurants in the eight Orlando Main Street Districts: For all the details go to mainstreetrestaurantweek.com.

]]>http://www.wmfe.org/bacon-race-arnold-day-quilts-and-restaurants/51433/feed0$2M Grants Target First-Generation STEM Majors at UCFhttp://www.wmfe.org/2m-grants-target-first-generation-stem-majors-at-ucf/51487
http://www.wmfe.org/2m-grants-target-first-generation-stem-majors-at-ucf/51487#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 10:00:52 +0000http://www.wmfe.org/?p=51487A $2.2 million award from the U.S. Department of Education will help first-generation and low-income students at the University of Central Florida prepare become future doctors and engineers.]]>

For first-generation college students, the path to graduation can be rocky. However, a $2.2 million award from the U.S. Department of Education will help them prepare become future doctors and engineers.

The University of Central Florida will receive more than $2 million from the U.S. Department of Education for its PRIME STEM program and Student Support Services. Both programs equip more than 200 low-income students with the personal, academic, and financial tools to advance in careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

“Things like when they should even start the process taking standardized tests like the ACT or the SAT,” added director Rebekah McCloud. “Many of them, they don’t know what to do and when to do it, and so sometimes they end up missing them both.”

McCloud lets students know they have unlimited options in STEM fields.

“In technology, we have all kinds of areas from cyber crimes to folks who put together computers. Software design. In mathematics, you know, we still need a lot of mathematicians.”

More than 200 first-generation and low-income students have gone through the program since it started five years ago.

Over 80 have graduated and landed jobs or gone off to medical, pharmacy, or grad school.

]]>http://www.wmfe.org/2m-grants-target-first-generation-stem-majors-at-ucf/51487/feed0UPDATE: Environmentalists File Suit Over Bear Hunthttp://www.wmfe.org/environmentalists-file-suit-over-bear-hunt/51477
http://www.wmfe.org/environmentalists-file-suit-over-bear-hunt/51477#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 10:00:51 +0000http://www.wmfe.org/?p=51477Environmentalists filed suit Friday against the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission seeking to stop the state's first bear hunt in two decades.
They say the hunt scheduled for October is unconstitutional.]]>

Environmentalists filed suit Friday against the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission seeking to stop the state’s first bear hunt in two decades.

They say the hunt scheduled for October is unconstitutional.

The conservation group Speak Up Wekiva filed the lawsuit in Leon County.

Environmental activist Chuck O’Neal also is part of the suit. He says the hunt is in conflict with the commission’s constitutionally mandated mission for conservation.

“You have political appointees sitting on that commission that have an agenda, and their agenda is not preserving wildlife. Their agenda is expanding hunting opportunities in the state of Florida.”

The hunt is aimed at reducing the state’s growing bear population by 320 bears. Central Florida is home to the state’s largest bear population. Permits go on sale Monday.

]]>http://www.wmfe.org/environmentalists-file-suit-over-bear-hunt/51477/feed0Landlords Sought To House The Homeless In Central Floridahttp://www.wmfe.org/landlords-sought-to-house-the-homeless-in-central-florida/51474
http://www.wmfe.org/landlords-sought-to-house-the-homeless-in-central-florida/51474#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 20:38:03 +0000http://www.wmfe.org/?p=51474Advocates for housing the homeless are asking landlords to step up and help. They need up to 500 rental units just in the next year.

Landlords would get vouchers covering most of the rent. Those vouchers will come from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, the VA, and local agencies – but the program will run out of the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida.

Executive Director Martha Are said tenants arrive understanding their responsibilities as a renter. “And my experience is landlords wish that all their tenants go that support,” said Are. “But these tenant will come with that support, these tenants will come with some rental assistance, the rent’s going to come on time.”

This plea for landlords is part of a push to get all of the nearly 300 homeless veterans in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties into housing by the end of the year.